Portola neighborhood garden tour

Ruth Wallace remembers knocking on doors in her Portola district neighborhood, asking strangers about their gardens, to organize a tour as a fundraiser for a new branch library.

Residents, attracted to this southeast corner of San Francisco in part by its large backyards and sunny climate, are turning the Portola into San Francisco's new garden district, with McLaren Park as a sprawling public centerpiece.

Retiree Robert Henderson and Department of Public Works staffer Mindy Linetzky have a view that includes the greenhouse ruins from their personal Hanging Garden: a steep, narrow slope terraced for ornamentals, herb and vegetable plots; seating that includes an antique porch swing; and, on the lowest level, pear and plum trees: "We wanted to be able to stand on the terrace and pick the fruit."

There is, however, enough sun for sizable tomatoes, succulents, even the odd orchid tucked in with the veggies: It's a matter of what's achievable - what you can do with your space and your finances.

A few blocks away, Michael and Cheryl Olinger designed for their relatively flat space, two young sons, two golden retrievers and sustainability: a modest, rompable lawn of drought-tolerant grass, raised beds for edibles and ornamentals, and a rainwater-harvesting system.

Cheryl Olinger, a Sears Holding Corp. executive, is finishing a handsome mosaic mural along the raised bed for fingerling potatoes, strawberries, sometimes pumpkins.

Proceeds benefit the Portola Garden District Scholarship for students of City College of San Francisco's Environmental Horticulture and Floristry Department.